I began my natural hair journey in 2009. I transitioned for 24 months before cutting the reaming perm off of my ends. I will say that I have learned a lot– there have been good days, and not so good days. But all in all, I am happy and I have learned to accept, expect and embrace certain things.
Sometimes your hair refuses to dry
Raise your hand if this is true for you! Have you ever created a bomb twist set and went to sleep knowing that your hair would essentially be on “fleek” tomorrow because you spent all night twisting it and now your fingers hurt? But then you wake up and begin to take your hair down, only to realize that it’s still damp in places! Argh… natural hair problems! I have learned to accept the fact that my hair won’t always dry when I want, and that if I want a particular style I have to spend more time to let it dry before attempting to take it down.
That inspirational style from Instagram didn’t turn out like you expected
Let’s face it, we all are on Instagram getting hair inspiration from so many different naturalistas! You see her hair is on point, so you go and try out the style yourself with hopes of it turning out like hers. You do the exact same steps, follow her exact same routine, use the same products… and then bam she has voluminous curls and you have a fro. Hey there curlfriend, it happens LOL! I have learned to accept that even if I do the style the same way I may have different results and I am okay with that! Which speaks to my next point…
Everyone has different hair
Different textures, porosity, curls, coils, all of that. Yes you heard that right! Everyone has different hair. I know it’s easy to get wrapped up on Instagram, blogs, or YouTube looking at pictures and videos of different naturalistas hair and saying, “I can’t wait until my hair gets that length, or I want HER hair”. We have all been there! The fact is, your hair is your hair, and that naturalistas is hers. It’s okay to get inspiration etc, but I have learned to embrace my own hair. Always remember you and your hair are BEAUTIFUL. Learn to work with what you’ve got and you (and your hair”> will be happier in the long run.
Patience
If you don’t have this in the natural hair world… man oh man! Patience is key when you are natural. On those wash days when I just wanted to give up, I didn’t. You just have to stay patient in every aspect (patience to see growth, patience to detangle, patience to wet set, lol”>. Trust me on this one. You will get to where you want to be, you just have to be patient.
Seek a stylist when needed
I know we get to the point where we feel that we don’t need our stylist anymore, and that we can do it all on our own. Well I still seek a professional stylist when it comes to getting my ends clipped and also straightening my hair. So my advice is to seek a stylist when you feel it is appropriate.
Have fun
Needs no explanation just have fun and remember it’s only hair! Cut it if you want, color it if you want! Hey it’s your hair! Remember that!
What have you learned since going natural?
This article was written by Michelle Thames of HappilyEverNatural.com and published on CurlyNikki.
